Brandon Tatum at BLEXITRVA

[Applause]. but I'm so blessed to be here this is. such a great opportunity for us this. these messages are something that we. need to hear that we need to internalize. this is our time to shine in. America and my journey started from a. very humble. beginning I grew up in a diverse. neighborhood and I can say diversity of. thoughts diversity of action maybe not. diversity of.

color and it was it was it was very uh. trying for me but it built me to be who. I am. today I'm GNA say this God has had a. tremendous part and making me who I. am and I know I'm I'm here to talk about. policing and I'm going to get to that. but I want to I want to focus first on. God because I. believe that the black community and a.

lot of communities around the country. have lost track of our faithfulness and. understanding of the one true God yes. sir and the reason why I want to show. God some love is because I used to walk. around Fort Worth Texas with my pants. sagging gold teeth in my mouth y'all. y'all probably don't believe me but it. happened some of y'all know gold teeth.

my mouth I got Young Savage tattooed. across my stomach I got tats on my. forearm I had a bad attitude nobody. could tell me nothing or will'll fight. but it took the power of God to deliver. me it took the drawing from God to take. me to. church and when I got to church God. showed himself to me and I was saved I. was baptized in jesus' name and I was. filled with God's spirit.

and you know what that did for. me that changed my. perception and how I looked at everybody. else cuz I grew up in a neighborhood. where we we felt like white people. didn't like us I'm I'm keeping it 100 we. felt like white people didn't like us. everybody around me was black all. everything that we thought about came. from a black perspective that's right. and I went to college and it start to to.

break up some of that some of that. ground in me of of of feeling that that. level of. hatred but when God touched me I started. to look at people as everyone in in this. building and everyone that I see as. being God's. children and that helped me go on the. path of understanding our purpose. together it helped me understand slavery. and understand all of the things that. happen in this country.

that we have been working hard together. to accomplish that's right I don't. believe in a in a in a pro Black Agenda. a pro white agenda I believe in a. pro-american agenda and a God's. children's. agenda and I I'll say this and I'm going. to throw this out here then I'll get to. police brutality just just bear with me. I do not believe in the concept of white. privilege and let me tell you what I do. believe in I believe in the concept of.

Christ privilege and I'm going to tell. you this not one person that walk in and. out this door that that that it gets. elected to president not one person can. control my destiny but God that's. right not one. person so I encourage young Brothers all. the time when I talk to them I encourage. them don't let these people lie to you. right don't let people be fake to you.

what happened to us being strong that's. right what happened to us holding up the. mantle this what my dad told me listen. if I go apply for a job and they don't. hire me I'mma apply for every job on the. Block and I tell you what when I get the. job I'm going work hard and I'm going. build the business and I'm going put the. other business out of out a commission. amen that's how you operate I came from. a background of a strong father I had my. daddy in my life my mom and daddy broke. broke up but my daddy was there he was.

there with that belt too I'll never. forget that but he was there my dad. wouldn't let me make excuses that's. right what do you mean what do you mean. you late to school you better go earlier. what do you mean you had two flat tires. you better leave earlier bring some. Flats with. you but that's the power of male. influence in our. community and don't get me wrong my mama. was great I we need our.

masas but young men in our country are. seeking love in a connection with the. man and these young Brothers need their. fathers I would not be here without my. dad I would not be here without and he. my dad my father didn't have to tell me. a lot of stuff I saw who he was I saw. what he represented on a day-to-day. basis it gave me an example of how how. to be a man how to be strong my father.

did don't make excuses he started on a. fire department when he was 18 years old. 31 years retired I remember when he. first started he used to always tell me. this he said Brandon there was some. there was some racial tension on the. department black folks will stick. together the white folks would be in in. their own group and he said but I I I. always treated people fair and when they. would come at me and they would treat me. unfairly I would in my mind he said he. would never disrespect people he said I.

made it up in my mind that I'm G work. hard and those people who talk and treat. me that way will be working for me one. day and and and as God is my witness my. dad made it to the top he retired as a. battalion chief and now he is the chief. of an entire fire department out there. in. Texas now now let's get to police. brutality let's get to police brutality. cuz this is this is a this is this is my. spot this is my sweet spot here because. I was a police officer and how I became.

a police officer is because I needed to. step up because I had a young child I. needed to step up as a man because. football wasn't working out for me and I. said I'm going to do what it takes to. make a solid foundation for my child and. I had never thought about being a police. officer but I apply for everything in. the City of Tucson and I said I my God. you going to help me get me a job and. and we're going to work from there and. the funny story is me and my son's mom.

we had an argument the night before this. phone call she she talking on the phone. I don't know what we arguing about I. wake up the next day and I get a phone. call from the Tucson Police Department. and I'm like she done call the police on. me she's trying to send your boy to. jail but that's so I answer the phone I. said hello you know they said this is. Tucson Police Department I'm like uh can. I help you they say Mr Tatum you you. apply for the job and I'm like oh okay. all right I can I can deal with. this but what I did was I said I have to. find out.

how am I going to do this I've never. even known a police officer I did a ride. along which I encourage anybody in here. to do a ride along I did a ride along. with Officer Shawn Payne for the first. time in my life and this is the this is. the honest to God Truth For the First. Time my like I saw a hero I used to. think those football players were Heroes. y'all can give that a round of. applause nothing against athletes. nothing against athletes they work hard. I was an athlete myself but I I saw a.

man go from changing a flat tire it was. an elderly lady she had to get a flat. tire change to going lights and Sirens. 80 miles hour down the roadway literally. we almost crashed twice because people. don't know how to move to the right so. if you see the sirens move to the right. don't look don't don't turn around don't. text move to the. right and we were going through the. lights we were flying and when we got to. the location they kicked the door in and. then once they went in they let me kind. of go in behind them and I saw a kid in.

the back room cutting his wrist he was. cutting his wrist I could see him and. Shawn Payne saved that kid he saved that. kid's life and I remember getting back. in the car cuz he had been talking to me. about my family before we went on the. call just like that we were on that call. and we get back in the car he say. Brandon what were you saying about your. mama and I was like. this what mama I don't know I had a. mama and I couldn't believe it and I. said and you do this every day and y'all. mind me I was like was only a half a.

shift I was only a half a day I said you. do this every day he go yeah I do this. every single day and from that point on. I said God I got to do this this is a. calling for me I need to save and. represent my. community and that's what I did with my. life I put all of my dreams aside I put. my my son everything I put it all aside. when I put the uniform on I was willing. to go out and die for people in the. community I was willing to.

die and and I'll say this this is why. this this touched me so much is because. I hate the way they're painting the. picture of law enforcement in. America it is disgraceful because the. only element and I know this firsthand I. went to the cars I go to m mom and them. house when they get burglarized I go. pick up the child off the off the ground. and put him in the body bag when he got. shot to death. I I remember the effort and energy we.

put into these. communities and so in the hood in these. neighborhoods run by all these Democrats. destroying the. neighborhoods who is there to protect. when nobody else will who is there to be. brave when nobody else. will when nobody want to. snitch you feel me when nobody want to. snitch they don't want to cooperate they. killing each other every day the men and. women who put on that uniform and still.

go do that every single. day even at even facing them going to. prison for something that they didn't. even do wrong getting ridiculed. fired they still go out and work that's. right and I can't stand when they lie to. us and this is what the effect becomes. when they tell a young brother that you. should be afraid of police walking out. the door they they say if you walk down. the street they going to just shoot you. up for no reason that's right if they. create that.

fear they built the wedge that they can. mark it that they can continue to cycle. through so they can get you to vote for. them that's right them young brothers. who are afraid of police do you think. you're going to cooperate with the. police if you see a crime you think. you're going to talk to the police no. when the application process come out. you think you're going to apply for the. police department no you. won't now the problem with that is is. that if you if you cooperate with police. in your community you can save your. community that's right the people who.

are selling dope on the corner won't. sell dope on the corner no more the. people who are murdering will go to jail. for their crimes Justice will be served. for the people in the community and when. you apply for the police department and. you become a police officer you can then. adequately serve your own Community the. best way you know. how and they create these environments.

that are residually destroying the. community and it makes me sick to my. stomach and I just want to to deliver to. you guys and I know a lot of y'all. support the police department y'all. support police officers yeah but we have. to we have to. consistently support the police officers. and support other young people and tell. our children the truth about law. enforcement and we have to be. educated understand laws understand.

protocol understand use of force. understand what a police officer can and. cannot do to you because it is it is is. counterproductive if you're on a traffic. stop and you don't even know your rights. that's right and you listen to some fool. on television telling you don't don't. roll your window down this much now you. didn't created an environment of. violence and then you get beat up and. jumped and you're like oh police. brutality no no they they're within. their rights to remove you from a. car we have to teach our young people. that we have to stand up and I'm going.

to give you an example of standing up. real quick I hope hopefully y'all can. give me a a estimate on my time cuz I. talk all. day but me and my boy Joe Patrick were. in a uh Waffle House this is about. standing strong and and whatever you. believe in me and Joe Patrick was in The. Waffle House we had our M make America. great again hat on and y'all should have. seen how they were looking at us boy. they want to eat Us Alive and in my mind. I'm like well bring it on then.

but we were sitting there and they were. they were staring us down and and what. it made me think about was back in the. Civil Rights times right when they would. go to the county and they they they just. exercising their rights as American. citizens they have a right to sit down. and East peacefully we were doing the. same thing but because they disagreed. with us because some of them are. ignorant they gave us these dirty looks. like they didn't even want the server. was nice but the other people act like. they didn't want us to be there I saw. Brothers looking at us. like all like y'all sell out I can.

almost feel them saying that we sellouts. but you know why I I I kept my hat on. because we had a conversation in the car. like hey man you want to take these hats. off I don't want nobody spit in my. food and that and at Waffle House you. can see them cook your food so they spit. in my food that's going that's going to. be a bad day for Waffle House but but I. said you know what we have to remain. strong that's right we have to stand up. for what we. believe because if we don't they going. to just push us right over that's right. yeah I said I'm going go in this place.

and I'mma wear my hat because that's my. right I can believe what I want to and. if they don't want me in there I'll just. go somewhere else to eat but I'm not. going to be afraid to stand up for what. I believe and I and I encourage as I. close I encourage every single person. under the sound of my voice to stand up. for what you. believe these. liberals want to scare you.

into cing that they want to scare you to. not come to this event that's right they. want to scare us for not supporting one. another they want to paint you as a. racist you as a a. sellout but we have to remain strong and. I'll say this I say this in every speech. because I feel like God put it on my. heart no matter what happens no matter. what it looks. like in the end of all of this we're. going to win that's right.

I I don't know how you feel but I'm I'm. a person of faith I believe that God has. already written the script that at the. end of all of this if we have faith and. we stay strong we will come out. Victorious because we on the right side. of the situation God bless y'all.